Sean Hattrick Running Unopposed In Tuckahoe

East End native Sean Hattrick is running unopposed to replace Harald Steudte, who has decided not to seek reelection on the Tuckahoe Board of Education.

Registered voters in the Tuckahoe School District can head to the polls to vote for School Board and the proposed $19.1 million spending plan on Tuesday, May 19, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the elementary school library on Magee Street.

Mr. Hattrick, 44, moved to the Tuckahoe School District 15 years ago from Southampton Village. He said he hopes to help direct Tuckahoe to a more stable financial future so future generations of Tuckahoe students will have the best education possible.

A certified financial planner, Mr. Hattrick is seeking his first three-year term. He has four children in the district: Margaret, 14, Billy, 12, Ellie, 11, and Annie, 9

“I have had such a positive experience with my four kids attending Tuckahoe that I felt compelled to do whatever I can to maintain the tradition of education that they have had for as long as I can remember,” Mr. Hattrick said. “I am very proud of that, so I feel that I need to be a part of whatever future they’ve got.”

The key for Tuckahoe in the future, he said, is to maintain the excellent resources it has now—including teachers and the administration—while navigating the realities of the state cap on tax levy increases as well as other budgetary constraints. Mr. Hattrick said he also feels that a merger with neighboring Southampton is still the best option for the one-school district, adding that he hopes the board will continue to work with legislators and the Southampton community to achieve that goal.

“We have to keep Tuckahoe the great school that it is—that is my first priority,” Mr. Hattrick said. “We have some difficult decisions ahead for us, and sometimes being able to convey that message to the public can be just as important, or maybe even more important, than the decision itself, so I am hoping that I am better than average at that.”